All-Electric Air Taxis Company Joby Completes First Step Toward Commercial Service

“Joby Aviation completed its first flight between two California airports, a key milestone in proving its electric air taxi can navigate conventional airspace ahead of a planned commercial launch in the U.S.

 

The company, which is developing all-electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, said Friday that it has flown in Federal Aviation Administration-controlled airspace with other aircraft, completing its first flight between the Marina and Monterey airports.

 

"The achievement is a major step as part of Joby's commercial market readiness, highlighting key capabilities across safety, operations, air-traffic control and certification progress," the company said.

 

Shares rose 8.4% in premarket trading on the news, but closed down 4.2% on Friday to $16.63.

 

Joby has begun final assembly of the aircraft it will use for its formal FAA evaluation, a critical step that moves the air-taxi company into one of the last key phases of its U.S. certification process.

 

The company plans to begin flight testing with FAA pilots early next year ahead of a planned commercial launch in New York and Los Angeles.

 

The flight time between the Marina and Monterey airports lasted about 12 minutes and traversed 10 nautical miles in total. The flight included all the typical stages of vertical takeoff, transition to wingborne flight, and so on.

 

The flight marks the first time a piloted electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi, also known as eVTOL, has flown from one public airport to another.

 

Earlier in August, Joby Aviation announced its plan to buy Blade Air Mobility's passenger division for up to $125 million, which included its operations in the U.S. and Europe, lounges and terminals, as well as the Blade brand. Operations will continue with the business functioning as a stand-alone entity within Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Joby upon closing.” [1]

 

1. EXCHANGE --- Joby Completes First Step Toward Commercial Service. Marchese, Adriano.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 16 Aug 2025: B9.